The Benefits of Using Religion in Therapy

Running head: THE BENEFITS OF USING RELIGION IN THERAPY 1

The Benefits of Using Religion in Therapy

THE BENEFITS OF USING RELIGION IN THERAPY 2
Abstract
This paper will explore four published articles that report the issue of using religion and or spirituality in therapy settings and how ethical issues may occur. The articles however discuss four different topics concerning benefits of using religion in therapy such as: using religion in group settings, clients’ beliefs and preferences when using religion in therapy, ethical responses when religious beliefs are causing harm to patient, and a guide to integrating religion in psychotherapy. This paper will express my professional opinion on this topic of religion and therapy.

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The Benefits of Using Religion In Therapy During our professional career we will encounter clients that have issues with their spirituality and or religion. Addressing these issues will present to be very challenging depending on our knowledge of the religious beliefs that the client may have and also our knowledge on how to handle these issues professionally and with care. Rosenfield’s (2011) article states that professional ethical codes can assist in defining the role that religion plays in treatment. In order for clients to benefit from religion being used in therapy the professional needs to be competent in using religion in their practice (Fisher, 2009). If not competent the professional will be violating many ethical standards such as: 2.01b, Boundaries of Competence, and 2.03, Maintaining Competence. This paper will examine the benefits and harm when using religion in therapy. Religion can take up a great portion of people’s lives. So when they are having dilemmas in their life they often look to their religious beliefs or values to get through it. When that is not enough for some, they will resort to going to professional counseling. According to Ansley, Rose, and Westefeld (2008) “Clients believed religious concerns were appropriate for discussion in counseling and had a preference for discussing spiritual and religious issues in counseling.” Incorporating religion in therapy can be harmful and ultimately unethical if the professional belittles or disputes religious beliefs because it can damage the goals and purpose of the therapy by threatening those parts of life that the client may grasp to as sacred doing this will lead to violating Standard 3.04, Avoiding Harm (Fisher, 2009). So when incorporating religion

THE BENEFITS OF USING RELIGION IN THERAPY 4 in therapy the professional needs to be understanding and respectful to others religious beliefs (Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity).
It is also unwise for the professional to attempt to impose their own religious beliefs onto the client and possibly create coercion therefore violating ethical Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity; Standard 3.08, Exploitative Relationships (Fisher, 2009). In some cases clients prefer to have a counselor or therapist that share similar religious beliefs (Ansley et al., 2008) and this can make integrating religion into the sessions easier. In a group counseling setting a client’s fear that another group member might impose their religious beliefs on them or just the difference or religious views, might make the client withdraw from the group sessions (Cornish and Wade 2010). However the group setting will give the opportunity for the group members to,” learn to respect the beliefs of others without sacrificing their own beliefs” (Cornish and Wade, 2010).
Another issue when dealing with religion and therapy is when the professional thinks that the client’s religious beliefs are causing harm the clients’ everyday well-being (Knapp, Lemoncelli and Vandecreek, 2010). In order to identify if this is the problem the professional has discover if the patient’s beliefs: create distress, causes them to avoid reality and responsibility, cause self-destructive behavior, and or builds a false expectation of God (Fisher, 2009). When dealing with this type of situation the professional should attempt to assist the patient think through the their choices so that they will behave more consistently with more acceptable moral values ( Knapp et al., 2010).

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As a future psychology professional I hope to be able address the issue of religion in therapy in a respectful and understanding way with my clients. In my community (African American), counseling is seen a bad or shameful thing to participate in because if you are a Christian and believe in God one should let Him handle all of our problems and not man. They sometimes seem to think that the counselor will sway them away from handling things according to the bible and possibly coerce them into abandoning their religious beliefs. Also, seeing a counselor coincides with being “crazy” and that label can be shameful for one to carry. As I do now, I hope to educate my community, especially the religious individuals about the importance of mental health and how getting the help a person needs can affect the entire community for the better.

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References
Cornish, M. A. (2010) Spirituality and Religion in Group Counseling: A Literature Review With Practice Guidelines. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(5), 398-404.
Fisher, C. B. (2009). Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Knapp, S., Lemoncelli, J., & VandeCreek, L. (2010). Ethical Responses When Patients’
Religious Beliefs Appear To Harm Their Well-Being. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(5), 405-412.
Rose, E., M., Westefeld, J., S., & Ansley, T., N. (2008) Spiritual Issues in Counseling: Clients’ Beliefs and Preferences. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, S (1), 18-33
Rosenfeld, G., W. (2011). Contributions From Ethics and Research That Guide Integrating
Religion Into Psychotherapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42 (2), 192-199 .

References: Cornish, M. A. (2010) Spirituality and Religion in Group Counseling: A Literature Review With Practice Guidelines. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(5), 398-404. Fisher, C. B. (2009). Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Knapp, S., Lemoncelli, J., & VandeCreek, L. (2010). Ethical Responses When Patients’ Religious Beliefs Appear To Harm Their Well-Being. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(5), 405-412. Rose, E., M., Westefeld, J., S., & Ansley, T., N. (2008) Spiritual Issues in Counseling: Clients’ Beliefs and Preferences. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, S (1), 18-33 Rosenfeld, G., W. (2011). Contributions From Ethics and Research That Guide Integrating Religion Into Psychotherapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42 (2), 192-199 .